LearningCITY 1.2.1 Podcasts
Photo Credit: Kelly Hofer
Connecting 1.2.1 Podcast
Connecting 1.2.1 includes a series of one-to-one discussions with diverse local community leaders, from CEOs to educators to small business owners, on the role of learning in city building.
Host
Dr. David J. Finch holds a Ph.D. in management and is an active educator, scholar, and practitioner. He holds numerous academic appointments, including as a Professor and Senior Fellow at Mount Royal University’s Institute for Community Prosperity, a Visiting Fellow at the Henley Business School at the University of Reading (UK), and the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics at the University of Guelph. He has also taught at the University of Calgary and Ohio University.
Dr. Finch specializes in labour market dynamics, focusing on the increasing demands for adaptive learning systems. He sits on the Government of Alberta’s Minister's Council for Higher Education and Skills. Before this, he was seconded to Calgary Economic Development, leading studies on labour market issues.
Dr. Finch is currently the board chair of the LearningCITY Collective. Dr. Finch has authored a study of Calgary’s learning ecosystem, facilitated the development of Calgary’s Skills Development Framework, and co-authored a policy report on Canadian youth migration. Before academia, Dr. Finch held progressively senior roles in corporate strategy with Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, and Harris Corporation.
Series 1: What is a Learning City?
In 2020 and 2021, we explored the idea of a learning city with 22 community leaders.
Click below to find out what they said.
Irfhan Rawji received an MBA with High Honors from Harvard Business School, and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia. Rawji is a board member of the Institute of Canadian Citizenship, Vice Chair of Glenbow Museum, and a member of the Harvard Business School Global Alumni Board.
Dr. Sandip Lalli holds an Institute of Corporate Directors, a PhD in Business Administration, as well as a Masters Degree. Lalli has worked with numerous international organizations with strategic planning and execution of important initiatives. Lalli is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. Simon Raby is an Assistant Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University, and is the co-founder of Business Improvement and Growth Associates Ltd. Raby is a Trustee and Board Member for the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior and Research.
Jyoti Gondek is Calgary’s Mayor. Prior to this, she was the Ward 3 Councillor. Before politics, Mayor Gondek was Director of the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. Gondek has a Degree in Sociology and Criminology, a Masters in Organizational Sociology, and a PhD in Urban Sociology.
Evelyn Field is a Professor of Psychology at Mount Royal University and former Chair of the Department of Psychology. Field has published many scientific articles and has co-authored several books. Field won a Student Champion Award from Mount Royal’s Student Association.
Michael Uzoka is a professor of Mathematics and Computing at Mount Royal University. Uzoka holds a Ph.D and a M. Sc in Computer Science, as well as an MBA. Uzoka is on the editorial board and program committees of multiple journals and conferences including the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Consumer Informatics, Information Systems Conference, and Axioms.
Janet Lane is the recently retired Director of the Human Capital Center at the Canada West Foundation, where she helped develop policies that enable the development of an increasingly skilled workforce. Lane was also the Executive Director of Literacy Alberta for eight years, where she facilitated the organization’s rapid growth in areas such as size, funding, and impact.
Ray DePaul is the Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Mount Royal University. DePaul holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and a Masters in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University, where he received an award for Innovation. DePaul was the recipient of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award in 2017.
James Stauch is the Director of the Institute for Community Prosperity at Mount Royal University. Staunch has been published many times in publications such as American Behavioral Scientist, The Philanthropist, and Urban Affairs. Stauch previously was a senior executive for the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation.
Dr. Nadège Levallet is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the University of Maine. Previous to this, Levallet held roles at the University of Guelph and Ohio University. Levallet has been published multiple times in publications such as MIS Quarterly Executive and Journal of Knowledge Management.
Dr. Jason Ribeiro is the co-founder and President of the Calgary Surge basketball club. Ribeiro currently sits on boards and standing committees within Sport Calgary, ActiveCITY Collective, EducationMatters, and the Calgary Public Library.
Terry Sydoryk retired as the the Chief Executive Officer of Chaordix, an organization that facilitates individuals and organizations to create an online community. Previously, Sydoryk was an Executive Limited Partner at Yaletown Venture Partners. Sydoryk holds an MBA in Finance and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta.
Janet Segato is the Dean of the School of Business at the Southern Institute of Technology, previous to that she was Associate Dean. Segato holds a Masters in Education from the University of Alberta, and also holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Michael Roberts is an Associate professor at Mount Royal University’s Bissett School of Business. He has a PhD in International Business and Strategic Management from the University of Western Ontario. Roberts has been teaching in business schools since 1995, including schools in South Korea.
Jodi Nickel is a professor in the Department of Education at MRU. Jodi’s PhD focused on the emerging autonomy of young children. Nickel brings a wealth of education knowledge to the podcast.
Norm Vaughan is a professor in the Department of Education at MRU, and specializes in early childhood education. Vaughan is a known advocate of the importance of hands-on education in becoming a lifelong learner.
Elizabeth Evans is the recently retired Provost at Mount Royal University. She is currently leading the introduction of the aviation management degree. Prior to this, Evans acted as the Founding Dean of the Faculty of Business and Communications Studies. Evans’ research currently consists of a broader investigation of the role of innovation and creativity in problem-solving at the individual, team, and organizational levels.
Dexter Lam is a consultant focusing on design thinking. In his role in Research & Strategy at Calgary Economic Development, Lam was instrumental in establishing the LearningCITY Collective. Lam received a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Calgary and has over 15 years of experience in empowering organizations to overcome barriers and reach their goals.
Dr. Chad Saunders is an assistant professor with the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. Saunders has a BSc in Applied Mathematics, an MBA in Information Systems, and a PhD in Management Information Systems. He also holds positions with the Department of Community Health Sciences and the Department of Medicine at the Cummings School of Medicine.
David Low is the Executive Director of Victoria Park Business Improvement Area, which represents merchants and businesses to help promote and advocate for important community issues. Low holds a M.A. in social anthropology and economics from the University of Calgary.
Melanie Peacock is a retired associate professor of Human Resources at Mount Royal University with over 30 years of Human Resources experience. Peacock is also the sole proprietor of Double M Training and Consulting, which helps small to mid-sized businesses with HR and strategic planning issues. Peacock holds a PhD in Education from the University of Calgary.
Scott Cressman is a faculty member at the School of Communication Design at the Alberta University of the Arts, as well as the founder of Solica Communications. Cressman holds a Visual Communications Diploma from AUArts, formally Alberta College of Art + Design. Cressman has previously worked with both the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University.
Tim Rahilly is the President and Vice-Chancellor of Mount Royal University. Prior to this, he was the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President at Simon Fraser University. Rahilly holds a PhD and Master of Arts in Educational and Counselling Psychology from McGill University. Part 1 of 2 surrounds the general topic of learning can move us forward. Part 2 of 2 features a discussion around President Rahilly’s expertise on both experiential and work-integrated learning.